Improvement in horse hay-forks



'Artirh faire @nicht @Hire J.l H. Winona, or iuiRMiN-e'ro'iv',l OHIo.-

13mm Param No. 76,5713, dem April '7, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONCERN:

vBe it known that LJ. H. WIDER, of Farmington, in the county ofTrumbull, and State of' Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Horse Hay-Fork; and I do hereby declare Athat the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will4 enable thoseskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in wh-ich-Figure 1 is a side view of my improvedVhay-fork,shown in position withits load. I

Figure 2 is a front view before tak-ing its load.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. v

This invention relates to an improved construction of'` a horsehay-fork,and consists in making it without a handle, in a very compact form, forworking through small hay-loft windows lor doors, or in otherl placescramped for. room, by connecting a swinging 'iron bail with a woodenhead-piece, carrying a three-pronged f0rk,

"and so arranged that' when th'e loaded fork is placed in position todeposit its load, it is tripped by ahand-ropc connected with a latchthat holds it till the load is'raised; strength, simplicity, anddurability in therconstruetion being combined with great facility andeffectiveness in the operation.

' AA represents a crss-head'made of hardwood, about twenty-two incheslong and three inches square, handed at each end, and having an uprightpost, B,.formed of a band passing laround the middle, and uniting abovethe Lipper side of the cross-head.

I Three curved tines, C O C, are fastened to the cross-head A,projecting forward at right angles to the post B, with their concavesides upwards. v v

A bail, D, is attached to the ends oi' the cross-head A toswing back ofand against the post B. The bail has a slotted head, a, terminating inaring or loop, b, for l.receiving the hoisting-rope, and a latch, c,passes through the slot in the-head a, to which it is pivoted-so `as tocatch on the'end of the post B, when the fork is raised with its load,beingheld fast in place by a spring, OZ, on the top,'until -it istripped by means of a handrope, e, Vattached to the end of the'spring. Il l Having described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent- The bail D, having slotted end a, in which thehorizontal catch e is pivoted centrally, said catch notched atitsforward end, and -held engaged with Vthe upper end of the post B, bythe rearwardprojecting springv attached to the rear end of the catch c,and released by the rope e, secured to the sameend of the catch, andhanging downward through the head A, all constructed and arranged tooperate as herein shown and described.

d. H. WLLDER.

Witness es WM. WlLDMAN, BENJAMIN Law.v

